Edward James Olmos
Biography
Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), actor in and director of American Me (1992), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), and Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982), and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In 2018, he played the father of two members of an outlaw motorcycle club in the FX series Mayans MC.
For his work in Miami Vice, Olmos won the 1985 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. For his performance in Stand and Deliver, Olmos was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
He is also known for his roles as patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, narrator El Pachuco in both the stage and film versions of Zoot Suit, and the voice of Chicharrón in Coco.
Over the course of his career, Olmos has been a pioneer for more diversified roles and images of Hispanics in the U.S. media. His notable direction, production, and starring roles for films, made-for-TV movies, and TV shows include Wolfen, Triumph of the Spirit, Talent for the Game, American Me, The Burning Season, My Family/Mi Familia, Caught, 12 Angry Men, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, Walkout, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, American Family, and Dexter. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward James Olmos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Acting (90 movies)
Blade Runner
1982
In the Time of the Butterflies
2001
I'm Still Here
2010
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
2007
12 Angry Men
1997
American Me
1992
Evening in Byzantium
1978
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
The Green Hornet
2011
Talent for the Game
1991
Stand and Deliver
1988
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
2008
Virus
1980
Selena
1997
Splinter
2006
My Family
1995
Caught
1996
Gossip
2000
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
2007
Filly Brown
2013
Selena Remembered
1997
Zoot Suit
1981
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
2007
Hollywood Confidential
1997
Alambrista!
1977
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
1998
Outlaw Posse
2024
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
2009
Zapatista
1999
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
2014
2 Guns
2013
The Judge
2001
Go for Sisters
2013
Mirage
1995
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
1983
Slave of Dreams
1995
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Americano
2016
Dead Angle
1979
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
1999
A Million to Juan
1994
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
1994
Roosters
1993
Seguin
1982
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1998
Triumph of the Spirit
1989
The Wall
1998
Lives in Hazard
1994
Unity
2015
America
2011
The Limbic Region
1996
One Fast Move
2024
Maria's Story
1991
Aloha, Bobby and Rose
1975
The Earth Day Special
1990
Death in Granada
1996
Walkout
2006
A Bridge Apart
2013
The Road to El Dorado
2000
The Nightingale
1983
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
2000
Blade Runner 2049
2017
LA 92
2017
Coco
2017
Saving Grace
1986
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
2017
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017
The Devil Has a Name
2019
A Dog's Way Home
2019
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
2009
The Eyes of Martin Castillo
2018
Windows on the World
2019
300 Miles for Stephanie
1981
The Burning Season
1994
Every Night's a Saturday Night
2018
Chasing Wonders
2021
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
Imprisoned
2019
Wolfen
1981
Agave is Life
2014
Space Songs: Through the Distance
2020
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
Monday Nights at Seven
2016
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
2019
The Unfinished Journey
1999
Walking with Herb
2021
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
2021
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002
Miami Vice ‘The Prodigal Son’
1987
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest
1997
Directing (4 movies)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez | 1983 | Original Music Composer |
| American Me | 1992 | Producer |
| Selena Remembered | 1997 | Producer |
| Filly Brown | 2013 | Executive Producer |
| Go for Sisters | 2013 | Producer |
| The Devil Has a Name | 2019 | Producer |
| Say a Little Prayer | 2024 | Executive Producer |